Epistle Sermons, Vol. 2: Epiphany, Easter and PentecostLuther, Martin
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Epistle Sermons, Vol. 2: Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost
Luther, Martin
Bible. Epistles -- Commentaries; Sermons
1. This sermon Paul preached in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia,
to the assembled Jews and gentiles. Note, he says, "whosoever among
you feareth God." It is a counterpart of the sermon in the preceding
epistle lesson delivered by Peter at Cesarea. Here also the first part
of the sermon is simply a narration of the historical facts of
Christ's resurrection, and designed to prove Christ the true Messiah
promised in the Scriptures. This is sufficiently demonstrated by the
facts in the case that by his own divine power and strength Christ
rescued himself from death and the grave, and rose from the dead and
showed himself alive and talked with men, something no man but Christ
alone had ever done or ever can do. Paul elsewhere (Rom 1, 3-4) says
that this Jesus our Lord was born of the seed of David according to
the flesh, and was declared to be the Son of God with power by the
resurrection from the dead.
2. Not content with a mere narration of the history of the
resurrection, Paul cites Scripture testimony incontestably proving
that Christ necessarily must rise from the dead and set up his
spiritual and eternal kingdom through the Word he commanded the
apostles to publish world-wide. He also discloses the true meaning of
Scripture from revelation itself, showing how to seek and find Christ
therein. The preceding Gospel lesson also spoke of this.
3. Third, as was true of Peter, Paul does not fail to mention what is
of surpassing importance, the use of the historical parts of Scripture
and the blessing and benefit accruing to us from that which Scripture
proclaims and witnesses; also the method of appropriating its power
and blessing. And he concludes with a beautiful utterance of apostolic
power, showing how we are to obtain remission of sins and be saved. He
says: "Through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins: and
by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from
which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." This certainly
is a powerful passage and so plain it needs no comment, no further
explanation. It is a point most firmly established and emphasized
everywhere in Paul's epistles. We should note well and remember such
clear passages, that we may gain strength and assurance as to the
ground of Christian doctrine. Seeing how perfectly, as faithful,
truthful and harmonious witnesses, these two apostles agree in their
preaching, we are justified in confidently drawing the conclusion that
any doctrine at variance with theirs, any teaching concerning the
remission of sins and our salvation contrary to theirs, is not of the
church, but of the devil's accursed teachers, a doctrine of Satan's
own. Gal 1.
_Easter Tuesday_
Second Sermon. Same Text. Acts 13, 26-39.
THE WORD AND THE RESURRECTION.[1]
[Footnote 1: This sermon appeared first in the Church Postil, the
Explanation of the Epistle and Gospel Texts from Easter to Advent.
Printed by Hans Lufft, Wittenberg, 1559.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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